Spring type neck and facial exerciser



- 1%..24, 1970 J, EATHER 3497317 SPRING TYPE NECK AND FACIAL EXERCISER Filed Aug. 29, 1966 INVENTOR. i JACK VINCENT FEATHER ATTORNEY United States Patent US. Cl. 272--83 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An exercising device having a base plate adapted to rest upon the infraclavicular region of the thorax with a chin rest member spaced above the base plate, A hinge connects the posterior portions of the base plate and chin rest member with springs disposed between the members for resisting compression by a depression of the chin of the user.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to exercising devices and more particularly to one adapted to be placed between the chin and the thorax or chest of a person and alternately compressed and released by moving the head down and up to exercise the muscles of the neck and thereby improve its configuration.

It is well known that lack of consistent use of muscles tends to make them weak and flabby, and these conditions are particularly objectionable and noticeable where those muscles are exposed to view, as is the case of the face, chin, and neck of human beings. In early life, the strenuous activities of childhood call into play and develop such musculature, but with advancing age, and more sedentary occupations, there are fewer occasions for use of such muscles, and their tone and appearance may deteriorate markedly. To overcome this tendency, reliance can be placed upon specific types of exercising equipment to correct such conditions or to prevent them from becoming objectionable, and it is in this field that the present invention resides.

It can be demonstrated that mild exercise, if it involves putting muscles to work against a controlled resistance to motion, will accomplish this objective. This invention comprehends broadly a hinged resilient device having members which may be placed between the chin or inferior mandible of a human body, and the infraculavicular region of the thorax or chest, and against which controlled and repetitive work may be done by the facial, neck, and shoulder muscles to strength and improve them. The positioning of the hinge with relation to the axis of motion of the head and neck during use is of importance, as well as other novel features of construction which will be pointed out hereinafter.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION It is therefore an important object of the present invention to provide a new and novel exerciser for the neck, facial and associated shoulder muscles of the human body, to improve their outward appearance and restore or retain their flexibility and tone.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a neck exerciser that is light in weight, easy to operate by women, and which is comfortable as well as effective in use.

Another object is to provide an exerciser of the type described that is simple and economical to fabricate, and which has a minimum of moving or wearing parts, so that it has a substantial long, useful life.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will be further apparent from the following specification and the accompanying drawings, which form a part 3,497,217 Patented Feb. 24, 1970 thereof, describing and illustrating a preferred arrangement and construction.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of a neck exerciser involving the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a side elevational view of the exerciser of FIGURE 1, showing it in extended position between the chin or inferior mandible and the infraclavicular thorax region of a user;

FIGURE 3 is a front elevational view of the device of FIGURES 1 and 2.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring to the drawings and particularly to FIGURES 1, 2 and 3 thereof, reference number 11 designates generally a base member, preferably of molded lightweight material such as plastic, which is joined by hinges 13 to a chin rest member 15 also of similar material. The lower face of base member 11 is preferably bent or made slightly concave as at 17, the better to fit comfortably over the infraclavicular region of the thorax or upper chest portion 19 of the user as indicated by the dotted portion of FIG- URE 2. The hinge means 13 at the posterior edges of base 11 are mounted at the ends of two prongs 21 and 23 which form the two sides of the base and are joined along the anterior edge of the base by the transverse portion 25. The purpose of the prongs 21 and 23 is two-fold; first, to position the hinges 13 substantially adjacent the axis of the spine of the user as will be described later; and second, to provide an opening for the anterior portion of his neck 27.

The chin rest member generally designated 15 is provided with two side members 29 and 31, which extend upwardly and forwardly from hinges 13 to the anterior or forward edge portion 33 of member 15. A slightly upwardly concave plate portion 35 connects the tops of side members 29 and 31 and forms a support for the inferior mandible or lower jaw and chin 37 of the user. In addition to the concavity of the upper face of plate portion 35 (FIGURE 3) the posterior portion of that plate is made concave as at 39 (FIGURE 1) the better to fit the configuration of the normal inferior mandible or lower jaw 37. Desirably, both the lower face of the base 11 and the upper face of plate portion 35 are covered with a soft or resilient cushioning material 41, 43, respectively, such as foam rubber.

To provide for a controlled resistance for the muscles of the user to work against, in this example a pair of helical steel springs 45, 47 are received between sockets 49, 51 in the anterior portions of side members 29, 31 and sockets 53, 55 in the corresponding anterior portion of base 11. Desirably these springs are secured into their sockets by projecting tips 57, 59, as best shown in dotted lines in FIGURE 2 to limit the divergence of the base and chin rest members. These springs also serve as convenient handles with which to place the device in the position shown in FIGURE 2, and also to retain it there while the head and chin of the user are urged forwardly and downwardly repeatedly and firmly by the neck and shoulder muscles against the springs.

It is to be understood that other spring means than the described coil springs, 45 and 47 could be employed to provide the resiliency to the exerciser. It is contemplated that additional multiple springs, or a single coiled spring or leaf springs extending outward from the hinges 13, along the side markers 29, 31, and the prongs 21, 23, would perform the functions. However, these are not believed to be as satisfactory as the disclosed arrangement. Likewise a different structural design might be utilized to effect the interconnection of the parts and the interrelation between the upper and lower plates and [1, respectively.

Desirably the spacing A (FIGURE 3) between the bottom of base member 11 and the top of chin rest member 15 has been found to be on the order of 4 inches, which will suit most adult users. The planes of the chin rest and base are desirably very slightly divergent anteriorly, so that in the extended position of the device as shown in FIGURE 2, the head and neck will be tilted slightly upwardly. Then, when the head and chin are periodically forced downwardly against the resistance of springs 45, and 47, there will be more usable rotation of the chin rest 15 about hinges 13 with regard to the stationary base 11 resting on the users thorax. As stated above, the hinges 13 are desirably so located with respect to the spine of the user that the device and the head of the user will move about a substantially common horizontal axis. This prevents muscle strain and possible slippage of the chin and jaw 37 on the chin rest 15. A desirable specification for the resilient connections 45 and 47 has been found to be a helical spring of 16 gage (Roebling) spring steel wire 4 /2 inches long and 1 inch in diameter, wound with a pitch of two turns per inch.

In conclusion, it will be clearly apparent that a novel and useful neck exerciser has been disclosed in the foregoing description and illustrated in the appended drawings. It may be characterized broadly by a hinged resilient device which may be placed between the chin or inferior mandible of a human body and the infraclavicular region of the thorax or chest, against which controlled and repetitive work may be done by repetitively contracting downwardly and then relaxing the neck and shoulder muscles to strengthen and improve them. Although a single example is described, it is considered that any modifications and changes that fall within the scope of the appended claims shall be properly embraced thereby.

I claim:

1. A neck exerciser for the human body, comprising:

a base member adapted to rest upon the infraclavicular region of the thorax and provided with posteriorly projecting prongs partially to enclose the base of the neck of the user,

a chin rest member spaced above said base member,

hinge means mounted on the extremities of said prongs connecting the posterior portions of said base and chin rest member, and

resilient means connecting said members to be compressed by a depression of the chin of the user.

2. The neck exerciser of claim 1 wherein said base and chin rest members initially diverge anteriorly with relation to each other, and wherein the resilient means comprise two helical springs disposed one at each side of the anterior portion of said chin rest member to serve as handles to place and retain the exerciser in position during use, the springs being secured in said members to limit the extent of such divergence.

3. The neck exerciser of claim 1 wherein the lower sides of said prongs are laterally concave to conform to the configuration of that portion of the thorax on which they rest.

4. A neck exerciser for the human body comprising:

a base member adapted to rest upon the infraclavicular region of the thorax and provided with posteriorly projecting prongs partially to enclose the base of the neck of the user, the lower sides of said prongs being laterally concave to conform to the configuration of that portion of the thorax on which they rest,

a chin rest member disposed above said base member with the upper and posterior portions of the chin rest member being concave to conform to and support the inferior mandible of the user,

hinge means mounted on the extremities of said prongs connecting the posterior portions of said base and chin rest members,

two helical springs disposed one at each side of theanterior portion of said chin rest member to be compressed by a depression of the chin of the user, said base and chin rest members initially diverging anteriorly with relation to each other, and said springs being secured in said members to limit the extent of such divergence, and

those surfaces of the base and chin rest member which contact the body of the used being covered with a soft resilient cushioning material.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS RICHARD C. PINKHAM, Primary Examiner W. R. BROWNE, Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 27257 

